Going car-free

I've been using my bike as my primary mode of transport since October. I'd greatly prefer to get rid of my car and its associated hassles, but I'm concerned about how I'd make the transition. Any tips? 

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Permalink Reply by S on March 13, 2014 at 11:15am

Which neighborhood do you live in and what are your typical activities/commuting like?  Without this, I'm not sure how much useful help you'll get.  That being said, you may want to look into something like Zipcar or iGo (or whatever it's called now) so that you can use a car/truck on occasion if you really need it. It's not totally being car free but it might make the transition easier if you have a way to get big packages or lots of things around without having to buy a cargo bike or trailer or have friends help you out.

Permalink Reply by Duppie on March 13, 2014 at 11:18am
It is much easier if live in a good location, i.e close to a grocery store, bank, hardware store, restaurants, etc, so you can walk or bike to it. If your nearest full service grocery store is more than 10 minutes away, it becomes tempting to use A car when it snowing, or raining. Also proximity to transit options as a fallback it easier to go carfree.
Permalink Reply by David Altenburg on March 13, 2014 at 11:28am

What do you currently use your car for?

Permalink Reply by Jared on March 13, 2014 at 11:38am

Car sharing can be an option when biking doesn't make sense.  I haven't used it in a few years but when I was using it it was about $8 an hour or $80 a day, if you needed it longer than a certain amount of hours you would book the whole day.  If you use a car a full day six days a month then your looking at around $500 and your probably better off keeping your car.

Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on March 13, 2014 at 11:45am

Here is a discussion I started before I sold my car in 2008 :

Advice about going carfree...help!

 

Permalink Reply by Fran Kondorf on March 13, 2014 at 12:10pm

Hi Juan,

 I recommend getting a trailer and occasionally renting a car when necessary.

 I found a used kiddie carrier on Craigslist, stripped it down, and converted it into a cargo hauler for the cost of some hose clamps and found materials. And unlike a cargo bike, I can unhitch it and lug it up the 2 flights of stairs into my apartment.

Permalink Reply by T.K. 3.5 mi on March 13, 2014 at 5:37pm

What h' said. 

Also, a few other things (from almost 2 years of car-free experience):

1) Having a backup bike is a good idea. It doesn't have to be fancy, it just has to work. 

2) Trailers are awesome. A few panniers and messenger bag/backpack will do the trick for most of your needs though.

3) Learn to maintain your rides. 

4) Become better friends with other cyclists. This is a change that just happens. Its good. :)

If you primarily biked through this winter, everything else will be easy. Chainlinkers could give you all the advice in the world, but you probably won't internalize or fully understand it until you experience it first hand. Just keep going. 


h' 1.0 said:

Otherwise, speaking from experience, it's easier than you think-- before you take the plunge you think you're going to be giving up freedom, and a short while afterwards the realization that you're found a better kind of freedom takes over.

Permalink Reply by Simon Phearson on March 14, 2014 at 2:22am

Going car-free is kind of like bike-commuting. The commitment comes first, followed by the search for solutions, not the other way around. You might be over-thinking it a bit.

I am not car-free right now, though I have effectively eliminated almost all of my uses for the car save for the occasional trip to Target. I live within walking distance of a perfectly adequate grocery store - which in my view is probably the most likely "requirement" for a car-free lifestyle - and mass transit is easily accessible on days that I don't commute by bike. I haven't bought gas in weeks - months, probably. Considering that my apartment actually has a couple of car-shares on site, I probably don't need the car at all - but it's paid off and the insurance is low, so it's not a big expense. I spend more for the parking spot than I do on the car. Which - huh, maybe I should think more about whether I need to keep it...

It might help if you were to share exactly what it is that's keeping you from effectively living car-free, right now. 

Permalink Reply by Gene Tenner on March 14, 2014 at 5:21am

Permalink Reply by Eric R on March 14, 2014 at 5:58am

Not to plug Divvy, but having a Divvy membership is useful in the event your bike breaks down (even on the way to work) or the ultimate downer - your bike gets stolen.

Do any bike shops rent trailers? (This should probably be a question in another thread.)


T.K. 8.4 mi said:

What h' said. 

Also, a few other things (from almost 2 years of car-free experience):

1) Having a backup bike is a good idea. It doesn't have to be fancy, it just has to work. 

2) Trailers are awesome. A few panniers and messenger bag/backpack will do the trick for most of your needs though.

3) Learn to maintain your rides. 

4) Become better friends with other cyclists. This is a change that just happens. Its good. :)

If you primarily biked through this winter, everything else will be easy. Chainlinkers could give you all the advice in the world, but you probably won't internalize or fully understand it until you experience it first hand. Just keep going. 


h' 1.0 said:

Otherwise, speaking from experience, it's easier than you think-- before you take the plunge you think you're going to be giving up freedom, and a short while afterwards the realization that you're found a better kind of freedom takes over.

Permalink Reply by Juan Boyce on March 14, 2014 at 7:17am

Thanks for all the advice. I live in North Kenwood and commute (by bike) to the Loop daily. I already have a single pannier and a bike trailer. My backup bike is Divvy, and I also have a rarely used Ventra card. With Tomato Mountain CSA and Amazon Prime, most things I could need or want can be delivered to my door.The main thing holding me back from a car-free lifestyle is my family's car-centric attitude. I don't want to be a jerk and force everyone to ride a bike because *I* like riding my bike, especially with the cold weather we've had since October.  I have Uber, zipcar, and Enterprise CarShare at my disposal, but they all seem unnecessarily expensive. If I'm forced to rent a car for more than 1 weekend per month, it negates practically all of the benefits of not owning a personal vehicle.

Permalink Reply by Simon Phearson on March 14, 2014 at 7:33am

It's funny you should cite the family. I have a brother with a wife and two school-age kids that bike - all of them - everywhere. They don't have a car. The kids bike to school, my brother to work, they bike to get groceries or "go out"; I think his wife might take the bus to get to work. And they do this not in Chicago but in a very bike-unfriendly city with plenty of hills and little bike infrastructure.

It's definitely a commitment, and I can understand not wanting to "impose" it on others. I'm not sure how my brother got his family used to the idea apart from sheer necessity after their last car was totaled. I suppose you could always arrange for an... "accident."

But it's amazing to see them lock and gear up together - I'm really proud of his family for his and his family's commitment. Anyway, it's possible.


Juan Boyce said:

Thanks for all the advice. I live in North Kenwood and commute (by bike) to the Loop daily. I already have a single pannier and a bike trailer. My backup bike is Divvy, and I also have a rarely used Ventra card. With Tomato Mountain CSA and Amazon Prime, most things I could need or want can be delivered to my door.The main thing holding me back from a car-free lifestyle is my family's car-centric attitude. I don't want to be a jerk and force everyone to ride a bike because *I* like riding my bike, especially with the cold weather we've had since October.  I have Uber, zipcar, and Enterprise CarShare at my disposal, but they all seem unnecessarily expensive. If I'm forced to rent a car for more than 1 weekend per month, it negates practically all of the benefits of not owning a personal vehicle.

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